ATSDR - Press Release for Alaska Traditional Dietary Project

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

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Press Release: October 9, 2001

ATSDR Awards Funds for Survey of Traditional Foods

Atlanta -- The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has awarded a grant to the Alaska Native Health Board (ANHB) to support surveys of the dietary habits of Alaskans who regularly eat traditional foods. The award provides a cornerstone for the ATSDR Alaska Traditional Diet Project, an effort begun in October 2000. The ANHB is developing an oversight committee to assist in soliciting and selecting grantees from among local communities and villages to implement regional dietary surveys. Training will be provided to enable grantees to administer the surveys and compile the data. This effort is one of numerous activities in Alaska that are attempting to determine the impact of environmental contamination on residents.

ATSDR is a public health agency in the Department of Health and Human Services. It is responsible for preventing or reducing the harmful effects of hazardous substances on human health and quality of life. ANHB, established in 1968, is at the forefront of addressing Alaska Native health issues. Their purpose is to promote the spiritual, physical, mental, social, and cultural well-being and pride of Alaska Native people.

The Alaska Traditional Diet Project was developed to assist consumers of Alaskan traditional foods in making informed dietary decisions to prevent adverse health outcomes. The project was developed in response to concerns about the effects of environmental contamination that is present in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Many Alaskans worry that exposures to contaminants resulting from a subsistence lifestyle, or through commercial and recreational activity, can potentially lead to cancer, worsen existing conditions such as diabetes and asthma, and increase the incidence of other health problems. To enable informed choices about foods, Alaskans have requested more information about the risk from these exposures and the nutritional benefits of traditional foods.

ATSDR has worked with Native Alaskans; federal, state and local government officials; organizations focused on health, nutrition and the environment; and concerned residents to devise appropriate strategies. To date, ATSDR has provided support for consensus-building meetings, environmental sampling (to augment findings from the dietary surveys), and development of the dietary survey instrument. Development of the survey tool is a critical step in ensuring that data collection is accurate and consistent.

Community members who would like additional information about the ATSDR Alaska Traditional Diet Project may call Leslie Campbell or Bill Cibulas, toll free, at 888-477-8737 or call Richard Kauffman in the ATSDR Region 10 office (Seattle) 206-553-2632. ATSDR has published information about the project on its website. The address is http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/alaska

Members of the news media are requested to make an appointment for individual interviews with ATSDR staff. Phone Donna Garland, ATSDR Office of Policy and External Affairs, at (404) 498-0080.